


in the hand of the forest

by insectoid_demigoddess



Series: heavy in your arms [1]
Category: Nurarihyon no Mago | Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Mentions of death native to NNM, Original Character(s), otp: love is watching someone die, six years this was untouched and now here it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:09:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27558133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insectoid_demigoddess/pseuds/insectoid_demigoddess
Summary: Nurarihyon ventures into a forest plagued by rumors of death to see its truth for himself.Instead he finds a creature, unlike any he'd ever seen.
Series: heavy in your arms [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014345
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	in the hand of the forest

**Author's Note:**

> au; pre-canon;  
> this fic and the others to come after it will answer one question: how did zen the youkai come to join nurarihyon's night parade?

“There have been rumors, Nurarihyon-sama, whispered about that forest.”

“Hm? What kind of rumors?”

“Humans have spoken of its strangeness – how the mist does not lift even during the day, how the quiet is never broken, how it smells of death.”

“The humans speak of many things, not all of them worth listening to. What do the _youkai_ of the mountain say?”

“… Nothing, Nurarihyon-sama. No _youkai_ lives on that mountain.”

* * *

The setting sun paints the leaves with shadows, and through the branches of tall trees dappled amber light, fast fading as the night swallows the day. Not a leaf stirs, though the chill of a breeze lays its touch here and there with cold deliberation. Nurarihyon steps beyond the boundary, through a wall of mist that burns his eyes and casts a veil over his mind.

For a moment, the mist muffles his thoughts, making the call of the void echo ever louder. It encroaches on him, all of its deep, dark, and daunting mass suffocating him – until he takes up his Fear and dispels the forest’s tricks.

Beyond the veil, the forest’s night looks no different from its day. It retains its deadened air, grave silence, and the wealth of shadows that allows Nurarihyon to travel in stealth, cataloging each dead thing that he comes across.

He puzzles over their lifelessness – brutal and bloody, like no human would think to do, like no _youkai_ he knew of would leave without purpose – until he hears a rustling, a splash, and the sound a body makes as it falls into the water.

The forest’s land had eased into a slope over time, and at the end of it Nurarihyon finds a small lake, cradled in the hand of the forest. Circled by thick trees whose branches grew further apart at their peak, the uneven shapes the leaves make allow the light of the full moon to shine on the water’s dark surface.

And in the water stands a creature Nurarihyon had never seen before, with wings gouged with pitch black veins and feathers that shimmered like fine silk where it the murky water of the lake did not cover it. Its skin and hair rivaled the moon in their paleness, and they seemed an unmoving vision, a madman’s hallucination, standing there at the heart of the lake, defenseless and exposed.

Consumed by curiosity, Nurarihyon moves closer to the side of the lake, wanting to catch sight of the creature’s face and place a name to this illusion that even he could not achieve. In a rare instance of distraction, he materializes from the shadows only to get tangled in the robes hanging on a low branch. He ends up on his knees right at the water’s edge and after a brief struggle with the robes, he looks up --

\-- and their gazes meet.

The creature had eyes the color of coals burning in the embrace of a fire, and they look at Nurarihyon with not an ounce of fear or surprise.

The surface of the water ripples as the creature’s wings retreat to form a cocoon around its body. Above its curled wing, the creature’s face is a study in harsh lines softened by the ethereal light of midnight, and Nurarihyon leans forward to listen with rapt attention as the creature parts its lips and speaks.

“Those are my robes you’re wearing.”

Masterfully masking his surprise at hearing the creature’s low, velvety voice, Nurarihyon composes himself and casts a nonchalant at the robes that had draped themselves around him. They were plain, boasting a simple pattern of feathers, and smelled faintly of herbs. He looks back up at the creature, an easy smile spreading his lips.

“Are you planning on putting them on so soon? You’re a vision without them.”

The creature’s brow furrows at Nurarihyon’s reply. _Charming_ , Nurarihyon thinks as he leans back on a hand and settles himself as if welcoming an audience in his court. “But then, with a face like that, you’d look beautiful in just about anything.”

Another ripple over the water, caused by the creature’s wings unfurling, and Nurarihyon’s eyes trail over the black gouges covering the creature’s wings, not unlike the veins he’d first thought they were -- and then the creature’s feathers are moving, storming towards him like knives dancing in the wind. Nurarihyon waits out the attack, watching in fascination as the feathers dash through his illusory limbs. The creature catches on quickly, halting and bidding its wings retreat into its body, now taking the form of black veins crawling over a lean chest.

In that same echoing tenor, the creature asks, “How is it that Nurarihyon, lord of pandemonium, has wandered into my forest?”

Nurarihyon shrugs, his eyes trailing over the creature in shameless interest. “I was bewitched by your beauty. You’ve hidden yourself so well, the humans pass on rumors of this forest being inhabited by death, but the only death I find is the death of my wanderings – you’ve caught me in your web, and I demand recompense. Perhaps a drink would do, though I reserve the right to ask for another.”

For a long moment, the creature regards Nurarihyon with a look of plain disbelief. And then, a scowl twists its mouth and narrows its eyes – for the second time that night, Nurarihyon is speechless at the sight of the creature’s beauty, the acidic fury that makes its eyes burn and its wings spread out once more.

“Fool,” the creature says, and then, to Nurarihyon’s disappointment, turns and flies out from the lake in the form of a bird Nurarihyon had never seen.

* * *

“The forest is dead?”

“Yes, Nurarihyon-sama, no life could be found in it. The trees are rotten to the core, the plants have wilted and dried up, and the only creatures the humans could find were all in varying states of decay.”

“Strange, that. I saw a bird there, with radiant feathers, veined black. Is there a _youkai_ like that?”

“We could ask, Nurarihyon-sama, though I advise you not to hope for much.”

“The bird has burning coals for eyes, and the wings that I described. Ask, and give word to me of anything that you find.”

Even if it would take Nurarihyon another season to find the creature again, he would continue to search for that mysterious, beautiful creature. He was owed a drink, after all, and Nurarihyon had a robe to return.

**Author's Note:**

> -the writing style might change in other fics, these were written 6 years ago and im just sprucing them up for a 2020 upgrade  
> -i loved writing these point blank and also for a dear friend  
> -mind the otp tag with a vigilant eye


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